


Tea

by the_savage_daughter_0627



Series: Hauntober 2020 [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Aang (Avatar) Is A Good Parent, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Awkward Flirting, Children of Characters, Dead Aang (Avatar), F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Halloween, Halloween Challenge, Implied Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Katara and Zuko (Avatar) are Parents, Long Shot, Mentioned Mai (Avatar), Minor Mai/Zuko, One Shot, One Shot Collection, One True Pairing, Parent Zuko (Avatar), Past Aang/Katara (Avatar), Past Mai/Zuko (Avatar), Tea, The Jasmine Dragon (Avatar), Trick or Treating, Zuko (Avatar) is a Good Parent, Zuko (Avatar)-centric, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, Zuko's Scar (Avatar)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:41:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27038125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_savage_daughter_0627/pseuds/the_savage_daughter_0627
Summary: After taking her kids trick-or-treating, Katara stops by the newly-opened Jasmine Dragon.Written for the Hauntober 2020 prompt "Tea".
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Hauntober 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1973365
Comments: 33
Kudos: 164





	Tea

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to LadyFaePhillips/FireLadyFae for being my amazing beta reader <3

“But Mom, I’m not ready to go home!” Bumi protested.

“Yeah Mom, can’t we just go to a couple more houses?” Kya looked up at her, hands clasped beneath her chin, pleading. The glitter of her costume sparkled on her cheeks. “Pretty please?”

“Mo’ canny, Mama,” Tenzin said in his toddler-speak.

Katara sighed heavily. It wasn’t easy being a single mom on a regular night. It was even harder being a single mom trying to shepherd three kids door-to-door for trick-or-treating. At least Tenzin was still in a stroller, but next year he wouldn’t be and she was already not looking forward to it.

She was exhausted. She had been pulling 12 hour shifts at the hospital for the last six days, and had barely gotten off in time to take the kids out herself, instead of relying on the babysitter, Song. 

“Alright,” Katara acquiesced. “We’ll go to  _ one  _ more house. And then we’re going to that new tea shop that just opened right around the corner. Mama needs a cup of jasmine tea.” 

“Yay!” The kids chorused happily, clapping their hands.

Bumi and Kya, dressed as a pirate and a princess respectively, skipped ahead down the sidewalk to the nearest house with the porch light on. It was decorated with all kinds of spooky decorations, but the seven and five year old weren’t spooked at all.

Tenzin, on the other hand, began to fuss and whine in his stroller.

“No, Mama, that house is  _ scawwy! _ I don’t wanna go there!”

“Okay, sweetie. We’ll wait right here for your brother and sister.”

Katara parked the stroller at the end of the walkway and leaned against the handlebars. She fought back a yawn as she watched Bumi and Kya fight over who would ring the doorbell, before they both jammed their fingers on it at the same time. A moment later, the door opened and an elderly woman offered up a bowl of candy. 

Katara vaguely heard her say, “Oh, look at how  _ cute _ you two are! Take a whole handful. Go on, help yourselves!” She then proceeded to watch her kids grab as much candy as they could in their small hands. 

“Kya, Bumi, don’t be greedy!” Katara called to them in her very serious I’m-the-mom voice.

The old woman smiled at her and waved her off. “Oh, don’t you worry! They’re absolutely  _ precious! _ ” She saw Tenzin in his stroller. “And oh my sweetness, look at that adorable little monkey. Come on, kids, let’s go give some candy to your baby brother.”

The three of them walked down to Katara and Tenzin. Katara forced out a smile as the old woman cooed at Tenzin and put some candy in the pumpkin-shaped bucket on his lap. 

“Thank you,” Katara said. 

“They’re so sweet. You’re one lucky mama.”

Katara looked down at her kids and smiled. “Yeah, I am. Thank you again.” Katara gathered her brood. “Come on, kids. It’s time to go home.”

“Aww!” Kya whined.

“Just  _ one  _ more, Mom.  _ Pleaaase? _ ” Bumi begged. 

Katara hated being the Bad Guy, but it was getting late for Tenzin to be out, and she was ready to curl up in bed and watch scary movies until she fell asleep. 

“We already went to one more,” Katara reminded them. “Now thank the nice lady and let’s get going.”

The kids sighed and grumbled, but they thanked the old woman. Katara shepherded the kids towards home, and that new tea shop. She’d been wanting to go inside since it had opened a few weeks ago, but she hadn’t had the time between work and taking care of the kids. She would have preferred to go without the kids so she could enjoy a calming cup of jasmine tea by herself, but she had just spent the last three hours wrangling Kya, Bumi, and Tenzin, and she decided she had earned a treat—aside from the candy she would raid from the kids’ bags later, of course.

A few minutes later, Bumi was opening the door to the Jasmine Dragon tea shop so Katara could push the stroller inside, the bell overhead announcing their arrival. The shop was empty except for the barista who stood behind the counter wiping it down with a rag. He looked up when they came in, and Katara met his gaze.

He was handsome, with dark hair tied back in a messy topknot and honey-colored eyes, except for the scar that covered most of the left side of his face. For a moment Katara thought it was supposed to be some kind of costume. After a second glance, she realized that it was real. But it didn’t deter from his good looks at all. 

“Welcome to the Jasmine Dragon,” he greeted. “Please have a seat and I’ll come by and take your order.”

“Mom, they have  _ cookies! _ ” Kya gestured excitedly to a glass case on the counter. “Can we get one? Pretty please?”

“You guys have a whole bucket of candy, and you want cookies?” 

Katara shook her head as she pushed the stroller over to a booth and popped the brakes on. Kya slid onto the seat and she dropped down beside her daughter, her feet aching. Bumi sat down across from them and took off his pirate hat. 

“Can I have some candy now, Mom?” he asked. 

“You can each have  _ two  _ pieces,” Katara said firmly. “You still need to go to bed, and you have school in the morning.”

“Fine,” Bumi grumbled. But he dug into his candy bag.

The barista came over with a pad of paper and a pen at the ready. He had a friendly smirk on his face. Katara’s eyes fell to his nametag, pinned to his t-shirt: Zuko.

“What can I get for you?” he asked.

“The biggest cup of jasmine you can give me,” Katara replied. 

His eyes took in the kids and the exhausted woman, and his grin widened. “Sure thing. What about some hot chocolate for the kiddos?” Katara opened her mouth to protest, but he winked and added in a mock-whisper, “Don’t worry, we’ve got sugar-free.”

Katara offered him a grateful smile. “Sure.” She looked at her children. “Do you kids want some hot cocoa?” 

“Yes!” came the reply from all three of them.

Zuko slipped the notepad into his pocket without writing anything down. “I’ll be right back with that.”

He spun on his heel and Katara watched him go. She was a little surprised with herself. It had been two years since Aang passed away, but she hadn’t even considered dating. Then again, she hadn’t had much time for it, between raising three kids and trying to provide for them. She barely had time for herself, let alone a relationship.

“Mom, quit staring at his butt!”

Katara turned back to her oldest son as a blush rose in her cheeks. “Bumi! Where did you even learn about that?” She lowered her voice. “And I most definitely was not.”

“You most definitely were, Mom,” Kya said with a grin, displaying the gap where her first tooth fell out a week ago. 

Katara pressed her hand to her flaming cheeks. “What is Song letting you guys watch on TV?” Bumi opened his mouth to answer, but Katara held up a hand to stop him. “Forget it, I don’t want to know.”

“Mom, they have a Pac-Man machine! Can me and Kya go play it? Please?”

Kya turned around and saw the game. “Please, Mom?”

Katara glanced over her shoulder and saw the game machine in the corner of the restaurant. She let out a sigh. On the one hand, the kids wouldn’t stop pestering her if she didn’t let them play it. But on the other, she was going to have a fun time tearing them away from it if she did. 

“Fine,” Katara said after mulling it over.

“Yes!” 

“Thanks, Mom!”

She leaned over and grabbed her purse out of the diaper bag to give them some quarters. As soon as she handed them over, Bumi flew from the booth and Kya ducked under the table and scrambled out from under it before Katara could move. She watched them tear across the restaurant as a new, embarrassed blush rose in her cheeks.

“Bumi, Kya,  _ we do not run inside! _ ” Katara closed her eyes and rubbed her temples.

“Kids will be kids.”

Katara opened her eyes and looked up. Zuko was standing by the empty booth Bumi had just vacated with a tray of drinks in to-go cups in his hands. She offered him an apologetic smile.

“It’s the candy,” she said. “They’re on a sugar high.”

“It’s alright.” Zuko shifted the tray to one arm and began setting their drinks down. “Hopefully by the time you get them home, they’ll be crashing and pass right out.”

Katara snorted as she took her tea. “One can hope.”

“Yeah, I’m hoping mine will do the same.”

Katara glanced up at him, surprised. “You have kids?”

Zuko nodded. “Just one. A daughter.” He looked over at Kya and Bumi. “I’d say she’s around your daughter’s age.”

“Kya is five.”

Zuko smiled at her. “Izumi is four.”

“That’s a pretty name.” Katara sipped her tea. “Did her mother take her trick-or-treating?”

“Uh, no. My uncle did, actually.” Zuko rubbed the back of his neck. “Her mother is not...around.”

Katara nodded sympathetically. “I’m sorry to hear that. My husband died when I was pregnant with this little one.” She gestured to Tenzin. “It’s been just us ever since.”

“I’m sorry for your loss. That must be rough.”

“Mama, I  _ firsty _ ,” Tenzin said.

Katara reached for the plastic kids’ cup with the twisty straw. “Hold on, sweetie. It’s probably hot.”

“No, it should be fine.” Zuko smiled at her. “I know how it goes with little ones.”

Katara smiled back at him. “Thank you.” She took a sip, just to be safe, and found that it was perfect. She handed it to Tenzin. “There you go. What do you tell him?” 

Tenzin looked up at Zuko. “Tank you.”

“You’re welcome, little dude.”

Katara glanced up at Zuko, and then at the empty restaurant. She peered back up at him shyly.

“You can join me, if you want. I don’t mind,” she said. “If you don’t have any more work to do, that is.”

“No, I’ve pretty much got it all done. It’s been a slow night.” He tapped his fingers on the tabletop. “You sure?” 

Katara nodded. “Yeah, I’m sure.”

Zuko slid into the booth across from her, setting the tray down before folding his arms in front of him. 

“I’m Katara, by the way,” she said. 

“Zuko.” He tugged at his name tag. “But I guess you already knew that though.”

Katara chuckled. “Yeah, I might’ve read your name tag.” 

Zuko gave her a shy smile.

“How long have you and your uncle been in Ba Sing Se?” Katara asked.

Zuko shrugged. “A few months.” He gestures around them. “He actually owns this place. I just work here. He offered me the night off to take Izumi, but Izumi wanted to go with him.” He cracked a grin. “I think it’s because she was actually able to convince him to go with her as Beauty and the Beast.”

“What, you won’t wear a Beast costume?” Katara teased him. 

“Oh, no. Izumi wanted to be Beast.” Zuko snorted. “Sorry, I love my kid, but I won’t put on a dress.”

Katara laughed. She looked back over her shoulder at Kya and Bumi. They were absorbed in their game. Kya had her tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth as she concentrated. 

“Kya is obsessed with all things princesses,” Katara said as she turned back to Zuko. “Her favorite is Cinderella. Ever since she saw the movie, she’s been obsessed with the idea of Prince Charming. She tried really hard to convince her brother to be a prince, but Jack Sparrow is his idol.”

“Izumi loves pirates. That was her second choice.” 

Katara smiled softly. She looked down at Tenzin. He had fallen asleep with the hot chocolate in his pudgy hands. Katara reached over and carefully extricated it before she set it down on the table. 

“Kya really got into it after their dad died,” Katara said quietly. “She goes to school and sees all of her friends have moms and dads, and she wonders why she doesn’t. She’s convinced that I’m just waiting on my Prince Charming.” Tears pricked her eyes. “She doesn’t really remember their dad, and that breaks my heart. Bumi does, and that’s almost worse.” Katara sniffled. “And Tenzin? He never even got to meet him.” 

She took a drink of her tea to distract herself. She didn’t mean to unload all of that on Zuko, but it had just poured out of her. 

“Sorry about all of that,” she mumbled, a bit embarrassed. “I don’t know where that came from.”

“It's alright,” Zuko said with a smile. “It must be really hard, doing this on your own. I know how it is. And I only have the one.”

She chuckled. “Well, we’re not  _ entirely _ on our own. I have my dad, and my brother and his wife. They’ve got twins about Bumi’s age, so that helps.” Katara smiled at him. 

“And I have my uncle, so I’m not really on my own either.” Zuko smiled back. 

Katara checked the time. It was getting late, and although she didn’t really want to go, she needed to get the kids home and off to bed. She looked back up at Zuko.

“We should get going,” she said wanly. “It’s getting late, and I’m sure you want to get home to your Beast.”

Katara stood up, and Zuko did too. She turned back to Kya and Bumi.

“Come on, kids, it’s time to go,” Katara told them.

“Aww!”

“Just one more game, Mom?”

Katara shook her head. “No, we need to go. Zuko needs to go home, too.”

That seemed to convince them, and a moment later Bumi and Kya were dragging their feet across the floor back to the booth. They remembered their hot chocolate, and excitedly gulped it down.

Katara reached for her wallet, tucked safely in the diaper bag beneath the stroller. “How much do I owe you?”

“It’s on the house.”

Katara looked up at him. “What? No way. This is like, twenty dollars worth of drinks. Let me give you something.”

“I’ll take your number.” Katara blinked, and color rose in Zuko’s cheeks. He rubbed the back of his neck again. “I mean, if you want. I was thinking our kids are about the same age, and Izumi could use some friends...sorry, sometimes I don’t think before I open my mouth—”

Katara grinned up at him. “No worries. I don’t mind giving you my number.” She paused for a beat and gave him an amused half-smirk. “For play dates.”

_ And maybe something more,  _ she thought as she jotted her name and number down on the notepad he offered her. Zuko wrote his number down as well and tore it off, handing it over to her with a soft smile.

They said their goodbyes and parted ways. Katara took her kids home, feeling lighter than she had in months, with Zuko’s number tucked safely in her back pocket. She was glad she had decided to treat herself to tea.

**Author's Note:**

> This was super sweet and also kind of sad. Sorry :/


End file.
